Embiid helps 76ers roll past Bucks

It was Embiid’s third straight game with at least 20 points and the 25th time he has accomplished the feat this season.

Ben Simmons contributed 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Dario Saric and Robert Covington added 13 points apiece and T.J. McConnell had 11 for the 76ers, who moved two games above .500.

Philadelphia was shorthanded without the services of guards JJ Redick (leg) and Jerryd Bayless (wrist).

Khris Middleton had an outstanding all-around game for the Bucks with a triple-double of 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Tony Snell scored 15 points, while Eric Bledsoe and Sterling Brown had 14 apiece and John Henson chipped in with 11.

The Bucks played without All-Star guard-forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (sore right knee) for the third time this season as well as forward Malcolm Brogdon (personal reasons).

McConnell made a nifty, spinning move for a three-point play, giving the Sixers a 92-82 lead early in the fourth. Covington followed with a short bank shot for a 12-point advantage, forcing the Bucks to call timeout.

Luwawu-Cabarrot soon hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key and the Philadelphia lead was suddenly 97-82.

Philadelphia extending its lead to 108-89 with 4:45 left and ultimately sealed the win.

A 13-2 run by the Bucks tied the game at 75 late in the third. Embiid knocked down a couple of difficult shots and the Sixers went ahead 84-80 heading into the fourth.

The Sixers jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half but saw it sliced to 61-55 at halftime. Holding onto double-digit advantages has been a problem all season for Philadelphia and this game was no different.

The Sixers built the large lead thanks in large part to hot shooting and committing just one turnover on their first 33 possessions with only three overall at halftime.